


Together

by daisystars



Series: twdg one-shots [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Comfort comfort comfort, F/M, Mute Louis, aj is only mentioned like once in this so i ain’t bothering to put him as a character tag, comfort angst, i nearly cried while writing this :c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:29:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26735920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisystars/pseuds/daisystars
Summary: Unable to sleep during a thunderstorm, a mute Louis turns to his girlfriend for comfort.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: twdg one-shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635139
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> this is a bday fic for my dear friend katie :3 wish her a happy bday!!!

Thunderstorms were always a horrifying thing to Louis. They always freaked him out ever since he was a little boy. Though he could never put his finger on whether it was the obnoxiously loud booming sounds of thunder, or the electrifying crashes of lightning that scattered across the sky that kept him awake late at night. No matter what he did, or where he was, storms were always prepared to wake him up. He was used to it though; he knew what to do whenever this stuff happened. This time, however, he was struggling.

He’d usually jolt awake when a loud crash from a lightning bolt came in contact with the ground outside. Sweat would inch down his forehead as he huffed out a shaky breath, sitting up and wiping it away once he felt he could. Whenever stuff like this happened, he’d stayed up for a while to calm himself down, and it usually worked. He’d tell himself shitty jokes he found hilarious, hum a tune or two, anything to distract his mind from the dangers that lurked outside. It helped him relax, helped him fall back asleep easier. And they helped. He usually fell right back to sleep and shoved all his worries to the side.

But he couldn’t this time. Louis couldn’t sing his problems away. He couldn’t crack himself up with a silly joke he made up on the spot. He couldn’t relax easily. Because he couldn’t talk. He couldn’t say a single word, he couldn’t belt out a single note, he couldn’t crack up a joke on the spot. All he could do is sit in silence. Dreadful silence. 

The lack of a tongue slowly tore Louis apart. He wasn’t himself; it felt like something that made Louis, well, Louis, was missing. He couldn’t sing, he couldn’t laugh, he couldn’t tell his own girlfriend how much he loved her. Clementine, his Clementine. The one who came back for him when he was taken, the one who hugged him back when they got locked up in a cell together. The one who truly cared for him, the one he’d do anything for. God, he’d do anything to tell her how much he loved her.

The night was rough. Rougher than the boy expected. All the methods Louis used to help him battle through the thunderstorms before were useless now. He remained stuck in bed, wide awake while droplets of rain sprinkled onto the window and echoed through the dorm. He stayed in his sitting position on the bunk as he stared at his hands, which were resting in his lap. Beside him laid Clementine, heavily snoozing as the storm outside continued on outside. _How could she be asleep through all of this?_

Louis’ fingers shook violently as another crack of thunder bursted through the atmosphere. It startled him so much he nearly bonks his head against the top of the bunk. He let out a shaky breath, pulling his knees closer to himself. The storm only seemed to get worse as time flew by, Louis figured that out because of the sounds of water beating against the window harder and harder. Why couldn’t it all just go away? He didn’t want to deal with this, not right now. Hell, he didn’t want to deal with this ever again.

Louis must’ve been breathing so heavily it had woken Clementine up, the boy feeling the brunette roll over and flutter her eyes open right as tears began swarming through his lids and blurring his vision. He panicked, glancing away from her as he did his best to hide his broken state. He couldn’t let his own girlfriend see him in such a frightened mood, he didn’t want her worried. He failed, obviously, since Clementine noticed almost immediately.

“Louis?” Clementine asked in a hushed voice, sitting up onto her elbows and glancing at her boyfriend. Exhaustion tickled at the tip of her tongue, and could easily be pointed out when she spoke. The soft shift of her prosthetic rubbing against the blanket under them played out when she moved. “Lou, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

The lack of response from Louis made Clementine frown, setting a hand on his shoulder and turned him around so he was facing her. Her heart broke upon seeing his face, obvious tears slipping down his freckled cheeks. Her honey coated eyes met his chocolate like ones, and Clementine could tell just by seeing them glossed in tears that Louis was hurting.

“Oh Lou…” Clementine reached her other hand up to cup his cheek, using her thumb to wipe away the tears that slid down his face. “I’m so sorry… I know you’re still suffering. Can you not sleep?”

He gave her a brief nod, but he knew she could never truly understand how he was feeling. He felt so… incomplete. He knew very well he wasn’t Louis anymore; he wasn’t himself. The ability to talk, to sing, to laugh… that’s what completed the puzzle. But now? It was like the puzzle was unfinished. It was like the one piece left went missing, and could never be found, leaving the puzzle to collect dust in a dark, cold corner.

“Is there anything I can do?” Clementine’s voice brought Louis back to reality, his eyes meeting her concerned ones. He took her hands into his own, pulling them close to him as he laid delicate kisses on her palms. Clementine’s lips curved into a sad smile, hoisting onto Louis’ arms and tugging him closer to her into a hug. 

The two sat in silence as Louis’ head rested on the girl’s chest, hearing his girlfriend’s heartbeat. It was like a set of drums, only softer and more attractive to the ear. He felt himself calming down almost instantly among hearing it, though it wasn’t enough to heal his crumbling self.  
  
One of Clementine’s hands found itself getting tangled in Louis’ dreads, and her other hand delicately rested on his back, her knuckles sending reassuring rubs onto his coat. She could still hear the freckled boy let out a quiet sob now and then. Her heart ached every time she heard it.

They stayed in the same position for a while longer before Louis pulled away. Tears no longer slid down his freckled cheeks as he forced himself to give the girl a smile. She returned the smile, leaning on her knees and giving him a peck on the cheek. Louis’ smile widened, grabbing the back of Clementine’s head right as she was pulling away and crashed his lips onto hers. A surprised yelp clogged at the bottom of the brunette’s throat, a grin forming on her lips as she slid a hand behind his neck to return the kiss.

They stayed in that position for a while. They didn’t want to pull away. Just being in his girlfriend’s presence instantly made Louis feel better. He wanted to stay close to her forever. He wanted her to always be there for him. To help him. To guide him. 

Eventually the couple tugged their lips away, soft smiles resting on their faces. Louis leaned forward suddenly and pressed a kiss onto the girl’s cheek. The touch made Clementine giggle to herself. “You’re so cute.” The compliment made Louis release a cheeky grin.  
  
The grin didn’t last long, however. A frown soon replaced the grin. The sight made the brunette frown too. “Louis?” He didn’t respond at first, instead turning his head to the side. “Louis, what’s wrong?”  
  
The boy abruptly stood, moving towards the center of the room. Standing in the faint beam of light that shed into the dorm, Louis turned to the girl who remained on the bunk, a hand outstretched in her direction. Clementine rose a brow at his sudden action. What was he trying to do? Louis kept his hand stuck out though, as if he wanted Clementine to grab it. Is that what he wanted to do? Did he just want to hold her hand?  
  
“You want me to hold your hand?”  
  
Louis shook his head. Okay, that wasn’t it.  
  
“Um… you want me to- to join you?”  
  
The boy nods. Oh, alright. Okay. She was getting somewhere.  
  
Scrunching up her nose, Clementine stood. She only wobbled slightly when her prosthetic came in contact with the floor. Walking forward, she slipped her hand into Louis’ and intertwined their fingers. She was still confused as to what he wanted. “Is this what you want?”  
  
Louis nods slowly, slipping his arm around her figure and tugging her close. He just wanted to be close to her, that’s all he wanted. He would always feel himself begin to shake and power down into a state he couldn’t control. When Clementine was close though? He felt fine. She was what kept him going. She was the reason he’s here.  
  
A frown forming on her face, Clementine hugged the boy back, feeling his hand finding her back and clutching her denim jacket anxiously. As if she were to suddenly disappear on him. Suddenly bail because of his state. It made her heart ache how much he cared about her. How much he relied on her. She first felt it with AJ, he always looked up to her, but it was different with Louis. It felt more natural.  
  
“I’m never letting you go Louis,” Clementine whispered softly, cutting through the bearing silence that swarmed around them. “I’m never leaving your side. Okay?”  
  
She could feel Louis nod. She sighs, keeping her grip on her boyfriend. She knew it would be okay. Everything wouldn't go back to normal, she knew that. But she knew they’d get through it. They’d battle through whatever challenges came their way. They’d slay every dragon that tried to disturb their peace. They’d get through it all. Together.

  
  
  
  



End file.
